Ride-hailing services employ digital means of connecting passengers with drivers. They are online platforms that riders can request for a driver to move them from point A to point B. It is a convenient and easy way of getting transported. Most of the time, the connection between riders and drivers are done through a mobile app on a smartphone. International players in this industry are Bolt, Lyft, and Uber.
RIDE-HAILING IN NIGERIA
Nigeria is not excluded from the industry as many ride-hailing services have sprung up over the years. Uber, GidiCab, Bolt (formerly Taxify), OCar are among them. All these services have revolutionalized transportation systems in Nigeria, and they are known to provide lower-cost, more convenient and safer transportation than their traditional counterparts like yellow taxis.
With ride-hailing platforms, you don’t have to walk to the nearest bus stop to wave down a taxi or ride in a bus or ‘danfo‘ like you would do in Lagos. You can even get them from the comfort of your home or office and you can hail for a friend or family member.
EKOCAB COMES INTO SCENE
Just about a month ago, the Lagos State Government placed a ban on ‘okada‘ and tricycles in the state and bike hailing services such as MAX.ng, Gokada and ORide were affected. The bikes were banned in certain areas of Lagos State and the government had reasons for their decision. Subsequently, Lagosians woke up to the news of the Lagos State Government partnering with Ekocab to push Lagos taxis into the ride-hailing sector.
There have been speculations that the government is seeking to monopolize ride-hailing in the state, but Ekocab has disproved this claim. Ekocab came into the scene in 2024, but it wasn’t well known until 2019 when an agreement was made with Lagos State Government and a partnership signed.
There have been reports about ride-hailing services negotiating with the government on the subject of annual renewal fee. Still, the spokesman for the Ministry of Transportation in the state disclaimed the reports.
PROBLEMS ON GROUND
Though there’s the backing of the state government, this, however, does not guarantee success for Ekocab. While there some other top competitors in the ride-hailing marker like Bolt and Uber who are leaders, it may be hard for Ekocab to overthrow these ride-hailing leaders.
Some problems that Ekocab may face are on the part of customers who may be wary of the service because of their car quality. Yellow cabs are known for there poor vehicle quality. Riders will opt for a better service like Uber and Bolt which provide excellent vehicle quality. Also yellow taxi drivers are more of people might not have formal education and digital literacy. This poses a problem for Ekocab especially when looking at the competition.
EKOCAB – THE APP
Searching online, there’s little information about Ekocab. The service doesn’t even have a functional website but it is on Medium but with an inactive page. Coming to the app itself, the UI is below par and it is nothing to write home about. The app is full of bugs and glitches and Ekocab will surely need competent developers to fix them.
On the Google Play Store, there are many one-star reviews following the launch of Ekocab and many Nigerians have poured out negative reviews with some users asking that it be pulled out from the Google Play Store.
Wow… A well-written article, it’s nice to see a purposeful blog/website in Nigeria. Well, my opinion on the app is, it’s just trash.